Family Caregiver Support

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As a partner with county and tribal aging programs, GWAAR is your resource for up-to-date information, training, and technical support to help you provide information and assistance to caregivers and their families.

All counties in Wisconsin receive funds through the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP) and the Alzheimer’s Family Caregiver Support Program (AFCSP), two Older Americans Act programs (NFCSP is a federal program and AFCSP is a state program). NFCSP funds are to be used to support family and other informal caregivers in caring for their loved ones at home for as long as possible. AFCSP funds are used to assist caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s or other dementia, regardless of their age. For support or technical assistance regarding AFCSP, you may contact GWAAR's AFCSP Team. Comparison of the two programs.

Wisconsin county and tribal aging programs can get NFCSP support and technical assistance by contacting GWAAR’s Family Caregiver Support Program Team. Team members are: Claire Culbertson, Lyndsay DeKeyser, Janell Keeter, and Jane Mahoney.

The following are resources for county and tribal aging program staff:

INDEX

NFCSP Coordinators for Wisconsin's Counties and Tribes

2013 Family Caregiver Support Trainings

There is a room block available under GWAAR for June 17 at the Holiday Inn - Campus Area in Eau Claire and expires June 3. Single occupancy is $70 and $79.95 for double/triple/quad. Call 715-835-2211 to make a reservation.

There is also one available under GWAAR for July 17 at AmericInn Green Bay East and expires June 18. Single occupancy is $70, double is $80, and quad is $90. Call 920-964-0177 to make a reservation.

Calendar (new page) with NFCSP statewide calls and AFCSP statewide calls listed.

Lead County/Tribal NFCSP Contacts updated 2-3-12

National Family Caregiver Support Program Information

The National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP) was established in 2000 as an amendment to the Older Americans Act of 1965. Its main purpose is to assist families and other informal caregivers in caring for loved ones at home for as long as possible. Research shows that caregivers experience high levels of emotional, physical, and financial stress which often leads to diminished health of the caregiver. NFCSP funds are given to each county to be used in developing programs and services to support caregivers. A range of services and support should be offered to caregivers and must include the following Five Core Areas:

1. Information to caregivers about available services
2. Assistance to caregivers in gaining access to the services
3. Individual counseling, organization of support groups, and caregiver training
4. Respite care
5. Supplemental services, on a limited basis

Funds and programs from the National Family Caregiver Support Program are intended to assist caregivers. By nature, the services will in turn improve the life of the care receiver, but the main focus of the NFCSP is to support caregivers.

More in-depth information about the National Family Caregiver Support Program can be found on the Administration on Aging Website. A variety of tools, resources, and ideas are available on this Website to assist counties in meeting these core requirements.

The NFCSP Policy
New Employee Training on NFCSP
Creative Ways to Spend NFCSP Funds
ADRC Library Book List (sample)

Grandparents & Relatives as Parents

Grandparents and relative caregivers can be served through NFCSP (see policy above). More information on relative and grandparent caregiving.

Supporting Grandparents and Relative Caregivers

Documentation & Forms

The distribution of funds for respite care, supplemental services, and other goods and services must be documented in SAMS (Social Assistance Management System) per federal and state guidelines. NFCSP policy also requires an assessment be done on caregivers and their care receivers to determine eligibility for the program. The basic information required that needs to be entered into SAMS can be gathered by using the following forms. Please note that one form is to collect information on the caregiver and the other is used to collect information on the care receiver.

Caregiver Intake Form
Care Recipient Intake Form

Each county can choose their own method of paying for respite care and other services. The following are samples of forms used by different counties to pay for these services.

Payment Request 2011
NFCSP Reimbursement Voucher
Family Caregiver Reimbursement
Recording Units of Service in SAMS

Marketing Assistance

One of the biggest challenges in assisting family caregivers is finding the caregivers who need help; many of them do not identify themselves as caregivers and some think they don’t need help. And still, others are too overwhelmed by the day to day tasks to take the time to seek out help.

Effective marketing tools are vitally important to reach those caregivers who need help. Distributing brochures and posters to local businesses such as pharmacies, clinics, grocery stores, senior centers, etc., is a great form of outreach. Writing articles for newsletters and local papers can also be an effective way to reach caregivers. The WisconsinCaregiver.org Website features valuable information and resources including a marketing toolkit to enhance caregiver support programs.

Family Caregiver Support Education/Training

The Wisconsin Alliance for Family Caregiving, a program of Bethany Community Care Ministry/Bethany, Inc., provides leader training for a variety of caregiver education curriculums. Two of the most widely used curriculums are Powerful Tools for Caregivers and Caregiving Relationships.

2013 Family Caregiver Support Trainings

Caregiver Coalitions

Find information and support (new page) for creating and sustaining a local or regional caregiver coalition.

Share The Care Project

Learn about how to help families and friends organize offers of support into a powerful caregiver team. Share The Care, based on the book by the same name, provides all the tools necessary to help family and friends create a volunteer network that has staying power—over the long run. For more information, contact Claire Culbertson, Share The Care Project Coordinator, (608-243-5687).

Individual Counseling, Organization of Support Groups, & Caregiver Training

Caregiver Self-Assessment
Six Stages of Caregiving
Caregiver Bill of Rights
Caregiver Support Group Topics
Working With Families Who Have Significant Issues
Support Group Guidelines Sample

Alzheimer's Family Caregiver & Support Program Information

The Alzheimer’s Family Caregiver and Support Program (AFCSP) was created by the Wisconsin state legislature in 1985 as a way to provide assistance to families who are caring for a loved one with irreversible dementia at home. The program is available to persons with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia and their caregiver. Their household income must also be less than $40,000/year with allowances for disease-related expenses.

AFCSP Marketing Ideas
AFCSP Policy
Alzheimer's.gov
Numbered Memo: Worksheets for Eligibility

AFCSP Marketing Ideas

ADRC of Central Wisconsin Brochure
Eau Claire County Brochure
Shawano County Brochure